Chapter Seventy-One: Fierce Battle

Two white dragons clashed furiously in midair, while Xiao Zhang seized the opportunity to attack Qi Guanbei. Qi Guanbei only sneered coldly and blocked Xiao Zhang’s blade with a single punch.

With a resounding bang, Xiao Zhang was sent flying by the impact. The entire grand hall erupted in golden light, and beneath Qi Guanbei’s feet, a six-pointed star array suddenly appeared, beginning to draw energy from the whole palace.

Meanwhile, the little white dragon had already shattered its opponent’s phantom, transformed back into human shape, and immediately summoned its own array to oppose the six-pointed star.

Then, the little white dragon tossed something at Xiao Zhang, an object resembling a seal. “Take the Dragon Seal and run!”

The Dragon Seal arced through the air, and Xiao Zhang darted forward, catching it in one swift motion, then shot off like a meteor!

Old Tie, you’re the one who told me to run, Xiao Zhang thought, but he didn’t immediately use the Dragon Talisman—he wanted to escape together with Zhao Bai and the others.

However, the moment Qi Guanbei caught sight of the Dragon Seal, his eyes blazed with greed—the key to the Dragon Palace! He struck the little white dragon aside and chased after Xiao Zhang.

Just as Xiao Zhang reached the main gate, Qi Guanbei appeared in a flash and kicked him to the ground. The Dragon Seal slipped from Xiao Zhang’s grasp.

Before either man could react, a figure lunged for the Dragon Seal. Liya snatched it up, closing her fist tightly around it.

“Give it back to me!”

A murderous aura erupted from Qi Guanbei’s pitch-black eyes. A translucent, blood-red longsword vibrated in his grip as he thrust it toward Liya!

Xiao Zhang stood frozen in shock.

He had been running for the door, never expecting Liya to descend from above—when had she quietly returned, or had she been waiting there all along?

Seeing Liya intercept and seize the Dragon Seal he’d thrown, Xiao Zhang was stunned for only a split second—then, on instinct, he stopped in his tracks.

Liya’s eyes were wide with alarm as Qi Guanbei’s sword neared her heart. Twisting and turning in midair, she dodged three times in quick succession! But each time, Qi Guanbei’s sword stuck to her like a shadow, always aimed at her heart. Three afterimages flashed through the air as Liya moved at lightning speed.

Yet for all her agility, her nightwear was rent in several places, revealing flashes of her pale skin.

With a sudden thrust of her palm, a burst of golden light exploded outward. Liya seized the moment, rolling through the air and leaping back behind her.

Just then, Qi Guanbei burst from the golden light, his body radiating fury. Liya’s lips curled into a cold smile. “Xiao Zhang, catch!”

She hurled the Dragon Seal again.

Before Xiao Zhang could react, the Dragon Seal whistled through the air and landed squarely in his arms—this woman’s aim was impeccable!

Qi Guanbei, who had been lunging at Liya, abruptly twisted in midair and charged at Xiao Zhang instead.

“Damn it!” Xiao Zhang cursed. Clutching the Dragon Seal, he tried to bolt, but Qi Guanbei’s sword aura enveloped him before he could move.

In that instant, he felt all his strength drain away, as if some immense pressure pinned him down, rendering even his fingertips immobile!

As the sword’s edge neared his face, Xiao Zhang’s mind screamed: Please, not my face!

At that moment, Liya soared after Qi Guanbei.

With a practiced gesture, she formed a strange mudra with her fingers, and with a sharp swish, a talisman shot from her fingertips!

The talisman struck Qi Guanbei’s back. He grunted, abandoning his attack on Xiao Zhang and turning to sweep his sword at the talisman, his translucent blood-red blade dispersing it with a single stroke.

A crisp, ringing note echoed through the hall, leaving Xiao Zhang’s ears ringing.

Suspended in midair was a silver nail, half-transparent, as if forged from solidified light.

“What the hell is that?” Xiao Zhang blurted out. “A nail?”

Liya landed less than ten meters from Xiao Zhang, her fingers dancing as she manipulated the silver nail, sending it darting repeatedly at Qi Guanbei.

Qi Guanbei’s swordwork was as fluid as flowing water, his blade ringing out as he deflected each of the nail’s unpredictable attacks.

“Xiao Zhang! Break the array!” Liya shouted, her face pale. “If you don’t, we’re all dead!”

“What? Break the array?” Xiao Zhang faltered.

“The six-pointed star array!” Liya staggered as Qi Guanbei cleaved the silver nail in two, her grunt of pain clear. “If it completes, we’re finished!”

Xiao Zhang was sorely tempted to throw away the Dragon Seal and simply run for it.

But if Liya could hold Qi Guanbei at bay, it proved that Qi Guanbei was not invincible.

“Damn woman!” Qi Guanbei tried several times to rush Xiao Zhang but was relentlessly entangled by Liya’s silver nail.

Inside the grand hall, Xiao Zhang stared at the six-pointed star array before him and slashed at it with a blade of silver light. To his dismay, the strike only accelerated the array’s expansion.

“Little White Dragon, do you know how to break this formation?”

The little white dragon, now in human form, struggled to his feet and pointed to several pillars of light within the array. “Those are the formation’s cores. Break them and that will do it.”

With that, the little white dragon vanished.

Xiao Zhang: o_o ...He ran? The NPC just up and left?

Staring at the six pillars at the array’s center, Xiao Zhang gritted his teeth and dashed inside. If the NPCs were unreliable, he’d have to do it himself.

The moment he entered, he felt his vitality being drained by the array. Fortunately, his abnormal stats meant his recovery barely kept pace with the consumption.

As he touched one of the pillars, he found that what looked intangible was, in fact, solid. No wonder the white dragon had lured him out before—he hadn’t wanted Xiao Zhang to touch these.

Summoning all his strength, Xiao Zhang struck the pillar with his fists. After a few heavy blows, he heard a cracking sound—the pillar shattered.

Qi Guanbei seemed to sense it instantly. Ignoring a punch from Liya, he forced his way toward Xiao Zhang.

Liya, panicking, followed him into the array. She stumbled at first, but quickly regained her balance to block Qi Guanbei’s path.

Xiao Zhang threw his full strength at a second pillar, but this time only managed to crack it, not break it.

Liya, having blocked an attack aimed at Xiao Zhang, coughed up blood with a muffled groan.

“Damn it!” Liya shouted in fury. She twisted, drew her twin swords, and charged straight at Qi Guanbei!